Survey finds that 1 in 4 employees expect to respond to work emails over Christmas

by HRHQ Editorial Team 

A survey of 1,000 full-time employees in Ireland commissioned by Workhuman announced  new findings from its Human Workplace Index. The survey found that 1 in 4 (27%) of employees expect they will be responding to work emails over Christmas. While work pressures are getting to employees, more than half (58%) of employees in Ireland say they are also stressed about the financial burden of buying Christmas gifts this year.

The survey commissioned by Workhuman and conducted by Pollfish to gain insights into attitudes and expectations around the holidays, including how work cultures support employees during the season, as well as gifting and giving habits.

The research suggests that many find it difficult to take a break over the holidays. Some 22% of employees say they will not be able to fully switch off from work over their Christmas holidays while 28% admitted that their large workload would prevent them from taking as much time off as they would like over the holidays.

The survey also found that, though the spirit of the season is alive and well, many employees may find this a stressful time of year. Per the research, employees expect to spend an average of €974 each on Christmas gifts this year. More than half of employees (54%) responded that they feel stressed out about buying holiday gifts— however this doesn’t seem to be hindering the amount of people they shop for, with nearly a quarter of employees saying they will buy holiday presents for up to 10 people.

Workhuman’s survey found that as people get into the festive spirit, the majority of employees who receive end-of-year bonuses are using them to pay for Christmas presents. More than a quarter (27%) of respondents who receive end-of-year bonuses say they are essential for affording Christmas presents, while a further 53% said they alleviate some of the financial burden. Despite this, over half (51%) of respondents would prefer to receive smaller spot bonuses throughout the year rather than one larger lump sum at the end of the year.

Many employees expressed an interest in employee recognition as a means of supplementing their Christmas budgets. Workhuman’s survey shows that 66% of employees would like to use points from an employee recognition programme to buy gifts. Employees are using Workhuman’s recognition platform in this way, with smartwatches, air fryers and headphones among the top purchases for those based in Europe.

When it comes to gifting trends in the workplace, 44% of employees receive Christmas gifts from their colleagues and 27% do a ‘Secret Santa’ at work. Some 32% get presents from their employer or manager and, of these, 95% say they usually, or always, like them. However, 12% admitted they usually re-gift them to someone else.